15 year old Satish from Karimnagar had very few desires in life.
The teenager went to school in Peddapalli in Karimnagar in Telangana. Over the last few weeks, the school had been asking him to bring with him school fees.
Satish belonged to a poor family, and a few days back, they had paid 5000 rupees towards the school fees. However, Satish was humiliated and asked to leave the classroom by the Principal of the school. Unable to bear the humiliation, Satish recorded a message for his family and friends, and decided to end his life by jumping in front of a speeding train.
The sad part is that in India, we pride ourselves on our standards of education. Further, the Govt. of India has declared a right to education as a fundamental right. In April 2010, we declared education as a fundamental right of every citizen in the country.
Also, free and compulsory education has been a feature of our democracy for decades now. And yet, incidents like this make us question if an education is enough to make someone a civil person.
Rest in Peace, Satish.
Let’s hope your death throws light upon the hapless situation of millions of schoolchildren in India. Here’s Satish’s heartbreaking video, shot a few hours before he ended his life.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsmexrSlmQE
